Cooker.



L. D. RICKBR.

COOKER.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN.24.1913.

' 1,121,401. L I Patented Dec.15,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1. I

L. D. RICKER.

COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN,24, 191.3.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

4 SHEBTSSBEBT 24 LesZz'cD. 62176? art Mam Ht NORRIS PETERS CO..PHOTO-L!1Hn. WASHINUIUN, n. r

L. D. RIOKER.

COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1913 Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

4 SHEETS- SHEET 3.

' l'nvento'r, Leslie 3 flicker Wa l mono THE NORRIS PETERS ca, F'HOTO-LITHO.. WASH NO VON, D. C,

L. D. RIGKER.

COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.24, 1913.

1,121,401. Patented Dec. 15,1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

II/IIIIIIIIII/II "HE N-JERIZ FEYERS CU PHOTO LITHOHWASHINGYON1 D C LESLIE D. RICKER, OF COLLBRAN, COLORADO.

COOKER.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed January 24, 1913. Serial N 0. 744,032.

To all "whom it may concern Be it known that I, LESLIE D. RICKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Collbran, in the county of Mesa and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cookers, of which the following is a specification. v

The present invention relates to improvements in cooking devices.

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to provide a simple,'cheap and efiicient steam cooker and heater,primarilyin tended for use in hotels, lunch rooms or the like, whereby eatables of different classes, such, for instance, as those requiring baking orboiling, maybe simultaneously cooked.

I also aim to provide a device'of this class wherein steam, generated from water contained-in a suitable reservoir may be circulated around a suitable oven, the device being further provided with a warming chamber arranged above the saidoven, the chamber being divided into compartments, and. means, comprising valves, beingv employed to'permit of the entrance of steam, in any desired quantity to any or to all of the said compartments.

Another object of the invention is the construction of a suitable casing having a water inlet as well as a circulating pipe which has a heartor a coil arranged loelow the bottom of the casing and adapted to rest upon a heat imparting device, such as a gas stove, or the like, whereby the water within the chamber will generate'steam which may be admitted to a space provided between the casing and an oven, the reservoir beingfurther provided with steam pipes which are arranged directlybelowla reticulated member and which are governed by suitable valves, the saidrecticulated member being adapted to receive food containers and the casing being further provided with a'hoo'd having compartments, within which are arranged food containers, thedcvices being provided with means whereby thesaid hood may be raised abovethe containers or lowered to inclose the said: containers.

A still "further object of the invention is to provide a cooker of this class with means 1 whereby water may be let into' the reservoir and the amount therein readily determined,

the reservoir being further provided with suitable faucets or pipes whereby, the water.

when heated or the steam generated by the heated water, may find an outlet atthe reservoir or may be conveyed to a suitable distance from the reservoir for any desired purpose.

With the above, and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and operative arrangement of parts, set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken at a right angle to the showing illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view upon the line 4-4 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5-is a similar sectional view upon the line 5 5 in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 illustrates detail sectional views of valves which may be employed. Fig. 7 is aside elevation of a funnel which may be employed in lieu of the water tank. Fig. 8 is a detail transverse sectional view taken through the standard 46 directly above the pulleys 50. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the oven detached. Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the series of radiating pipes connected with the pipe controlled by the valves 40 and 41. Fig. 11 il ustrates adetail.

In the structure illustrated in the drawings the cooker is provided with a'support which comprises, what is commonly termed, a heart or a series of water circulating pipes which is adapted to be positioned directly over the flames jofla gas. stove or to receive heat from any othendesired source. The cooker embodies a casing 1,'the same being, of course, constructed of some suitable heat retaining material. The casing which is preferably of a rectangular formation, but may, of course, be of any other desired shape, has its lower portion water-tight to provide, what I shall term, a'reservoir 2. Leading to the reservoir and controlled by a suitable cock 3 isaninlet pipe 4 which is connected with any suitable source of water supply, such as a tank 5. It is, of

course, to be understood that the cooker may and terminates adjacent the said bottom as clearly illustrated in the drawings. The

reservoir is provided with a Water glass 9, whereby the amount of water received within the reservoir may be readily determined. The reservoir is further provided with an outlet cock 10, whereby the water from the said reservoir may be drained when occasion requlres. i

The numeral 11 designates the circulating pipe for the reservoir. This pipe is arranged'both below and upon the opposite sides of the said reservoir, and has one of its branches 12 entering the top of the reservoir while its opposite branch 13 enters the bottom ofthe reservoir. The lower or connecting member of the circulating pipe 11 is in the form'of a heart or is made of a plurality of connected radiating pipes 14, and the said heart 1 1 presents a flattened surface, which is horizontally straight with relation to the bottom of the reservoir, and the said heart provides a supportfor the reservoir so that the receptacle may be supported over thevflames of a gas stove, cook stove, electricheater, or the like. By such an arrangement it will be noted that the water circulating through the pipell will be quickly heated so as to generate steam from the said water so that the, amount of water within the reservoir is not only constantly retainedat a boiling point, but that the steam generated therefrom may be employed for a purpose now to be described. The casing above the reservoir has its Walls doubled. The casing directly above the reservoir is provided with cleats 15 which form ways for flanges 16 which are provided upon'the lower walls of aremovable oven 17. The oven 17 is provided with offset portions upon which are formed the flanges 16 so that a space 18 is arranged be,- tween the said oven and the casing. Ar-

ranged within this space 18 are perforated pipes 19, which are controlled by suitable valves 20,. and which communicate with the reservoir 2 directly. above its water level, and whereby, when the valves are operated the steam will be circulated around the passage 18 to impart sufiicient warmth to the oven to permit of the cooking of foodstuff within the oven.

The oven 17 is provided with an open bottom, the same having a continuous flange 21, and this flange is adapted to support a removable member or false bottom 22. The bottom 22 has its upper face provided with pivotal catches 23 which engage within suitable openings provided in the sides of the oven to retain the said bottom normally upon the flange 21 of the oven, and the said bottom cmay be providedwith handles or bails24i (see Fig. 5) whereby the bottom may be readily lifted from the oven. The

bottom is further formed with a series of openings .2v5,,the same having lower flanged walls to provide supports for the flanged or beaded edges ofsuitable utensils 26. The

top of the false bottom is further provided with bayonet slots which are arranged upon the side walls provided by the openings 25,

depression or way 29 which is adapted to receive a removable plateBO. The outer, andopen face of the oven is provided with a hinged door 31, the same being flanged to afford a tight connection with the said oven. This door is preferably hinged at its lower edge, and secured tothe door and to the oven is a flexible element 32 which limits the downwardswinging movement of the door to sustain the saiddoor in a substantiallyhorizontal open position so that the articles in the oven maybe removed or inserted as well asto permit of the sliding of the plate 30 when any one of the utensils 26 is to be removed or to be positioned upon the false bottom 22. The door is sustained in its closed position through themedium of pivoted latches 33. The oven has its outer faceflat, and has a flange which is adapted to be received within a suitable recess provided in the outer face of the-casing 1; The oven isremovable, butisnormally sustained in properposition 'withinthe cas-' ing through the medium of suitablelatches 34, and it may here be 'stated' that the oven access to the reservoir is only removed when is desired. V I

The top wall of the reservoir is formed with a depression or pocket with which communicates a safety valve 35, so that if excess steam-be admitted within the space 18 M around the oven 17, the same may escape 1 through the said valve. p r

,The numerals 36 and 37 designate pipe members which communicate with the reservoir above the water level thereof and which may also communicate with the pipes 19 if desired. These pipes communicate with compartments or chambers 38 and 39, respectively, and each of the said'compartments is regulated by valves 40 and 41, respectively. Arranged above. the top of the casing 1 and communicating, ,through the,

medium of suitable pipes with the com partinents 38 and 39, is a reticulated-.mem-I ber 42.. This member is of a size substantially equalingthat ofthetop of thej Qlllf' partment and the said member is provided adjacent to its edges with a continuous fiange43. The member is further provided with right-angularly arranged depressions '44 whereby the said-plate is divided, in the Again, the valve may be rotated so as to permit of the admission of steam to either of the plates, and still again the valve may be rotated to prevent the admission of steam to all of thesections provided by the reticulated plate. I

The casing l'has twoof its sides arranged with diametrically opposite standards 46 and 47, respectively. What may be termed the outer faces of each of the standards is channeled, as clearly illustrated in the figures of the drawings, and each of the said standards comprises a pair of sections, the space between each of the said pairs of sections providing ways for the reception of tongues 48 provided upon the opposite sides of a hood 49. Each of the sections comprising the standards 46 and47 have their upper extremities bifurcated, and trunnioned within each of the said bifurcations is a grooved wheel 50. Each of the tongues 48 is provided with flexible members 51 which pass over the grooved wheels 50 and which have their free ends connected with weights 52 which are disposed within the channels of the standards and the said weights serve as a compensating balance for the hood to permit of the said hood being raised or lowered at a minimum amount of physical exertion. The standards are connected through the medium of a suitable bar 53, and the said bar may be provided with a bail or handle 54, whereby the device may be transported when desired;

The hood 49 embodies .both an outer casing which is provided with handles 55 and a removable inner casing 56 which has a closed top and an open bottom. The inner casing 56 is divided into compartments 57 corresponding in number to the divisions provided by the depressions 44 upon the reticulated member 42. Each of these compartments 57, has its upper wall provided witha regulating valve 58, and the divisions upon the plates 42, which may be designated by the numerals 59, are each adapted to support a suitable receptacle or container 60 within which is placed food either to be warmed or cooked. In this connection it is to be understood that any amount of steam may be admitted to the divisions 59 of the plate 42, and, it being understood that the compartments 57 of the hood being arranged so as to receive the containers 60, when the hood is in its lowered position, the articles of food within the said containers may receive the desired amount of heat either for warming the contents of the containers or 'for cooking the same, as desired.

Arranged upon the hood 49 is a cap 61, the same providing what may be termed a chamber between the top of the inner cassaid casings, thus providing a substantially continuous circulation of the steam around the compartments.

In order to provide for the condensation of the steam from the compartments 38 and 39, I provide a pipe 63 which leads from the said compartments to the reservoir 2.

From the above 'descriptiomtaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the simplicity of the device, and the advantages thereof, as, well as its cheapness' in construction, will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the artto which such inventions appertain, without further description thereof.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is 1. A steam cooker including a casing pro vided with a watery reservoir, a removable oven arranged above the reservoir and spaced away from the casing to provide a steam passage, means for admitting and controlling steam from the reservoir to the said passage, an oven having an open flanged bottom, a false bottom for the oven, said false bottomadapted to removably support a plurality of utensils to sustain the'bodies 'of the same within the reservoir, removable spaced away from the remaining walls of the casing, means for retaining the oven upon the casing, the said oven being provided with an open bottom, a false bottom for the oven, means for securing the false bottom to the oven, the said false bottom having a pluralityv of openings adapted to receive receptacles, means for removably sustaining the receptacles upon the bottom, a sliding plate within the oven and disposed above the false bottom, the space between the sides of the oven and the receptacle being provided with reticulated pipes which communicate with the reservoir above the water level thereof, valves for these pipes, and a hinged door for the oven.

3. A steam cooker comprisinga casing and including a water reservoir, an oven arranged above the reservoir andspaced from the casing, pipes within the said space communicating with the reservoir above the waterlevel thereof, valves for these pipes, the top of the casing being provided with compartments, pipes leading from the reservoir and communicating with the compart-v ments, valves for the compartments, a reticulated plate above the compartments and communicating therewith, and a hood for the'plate.

4:. In a steam cooker, a casing, said casing being provided with I a steam generating reservoir, an oven arranged above thereservoir and spaced away from the sides of the casing, perforated pipes arranged between the casing and the oven, valves for these pipes, the top of the casing being provided with compartments, pipes leading from the reservoir and communicating with the compartments, valves for the compartments, a reticulated plate divided into sections arranged above the compartments, the said valves being so arranged as to admit a fluid to either orall of the sections of the plate, a slidable hood arranged above'the casing, and the said hood being divided into compartments corresponding in number and size with the divisions of the reticulated plate.

5. A steam cooker embodying a casing having a water reservoir, an oven arranged ab ve the reservoir disposed away from the sides of the casing, valve controlled means for permitting of a 1 circulation ofv fluid from the reservoir through the spaceb etween the oven and the casing, the top of the casing being provided with compartments, a reticulated plate divided into sections arranged above the compartments, pipes for the reservoir communicating with thecompartments, valves for regulating the admission of fluid from the compartments through the perforations of the plate, a slidable hood for the plate, said hood comprising an inner and an outer casing spaced from each other,

the inner casing being; divided into compartments corresponding in number to the sec 'tions of thereticulated plate, and eachof the said compartments being provided with a pressure valve.

6. A steam cooker including a casing ro-- and the oven, the top of thecasing being provided with compartments,"a reticulated plate upon the top of the casing and above the compartments, pipes communicating with thegenerating chamber and with the compartments, valves Within the compartments and adapted to control a flow of fluid from the compartments through the reticulated plate, a vertically slidable hood for the reticulated plate, said hood comprising an inner and an outer casing, the inner casing being divided into compartments, each of the said compartments being provided with a regulating valve, a capfor the hood, and said cap being provided with a pressure valve. 7 I i a 7 A steam cooker including acasing provided with a Water reservoir forminga gen-, erating chamber, an oven, means for per mitting and regulating a circulation of fluid from the steam chamber between'the ovenand the casing, steam compartments provided upon the top of the casing, pipes communicating between the said steam compartments and the reservoir, a plate arranged above the compartments and being provided with openings communicating therewith, valves for the compartments, standards arranged in pairs upon the casing and projecting thereabove, a hood provided with tongues disposed between the spaced standards, said hood, embodying an inner and an outer casing, the inner casing being provided with'regulating valves, a cap for the casing, said cap being provided with a safety valve, standards having their upper extremities provided with grooved wheels,fiexible elements connected with-the tongues and passing over the grooved-wheels, compensating weights for the flexible elements, and a connesting bar provided witha bail for the standards. v V

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses;

, LESLIE D.-RICKER. Witnesses: V

c. B. Prrrs,

Josnrnmn NEEDLES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. i 

